The invention relates to a device for connecting a camera to a supporting device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,641 A1 discloses a quick-clamping locking plate for a camera which is positioned on a camera stand and so as to make it possible for a camera to be quickly clamped in, locked and disengaged. The quick-clamping locking plate has, in its front region, a dovetail guide, of which the guide edges approach one another conically in the direction of the front end of the plate and serve for accommodating a complementary insert part which is connected to the camera. The insert part, which is pushed into the dovetail guide, is arrested with the aid of a clamping pin which can be displaced along the centre longitudinal axis of the plate and is connected to a pivotable hand lever via a linkage. A tightening pin which can be adjusted perpendicularly to the plane of the plate is arranged at the rear end of the plate and is connected to the hand lever via an articulated connection. Above the plane of the quick-clamping locking plate, the securing pin has a collar, beneath which engages a retaining strip which is connected to the camera and by means of which the camera is also locked at the rear end of the quick-clamping locking plate.
The transmission of a pivoting movement of the hand lever to the clamping pin, provided in the dovetail guide, and to the rear securing pin, via the articulated connection, takes place via an actuating plate which is arranged parallel to the plane of the locking plate and is fastened on a pin along a centre longitudinal axis of the quick-clamping locking plate, perpendicularly to the plane of the latter. On the opposite sides of the pin, the actuating plate has two driving pins which engage in slots which run perpendicularly to the centre longitudinal axis and are formed in a front and rear pressure plate, which are each guided in a guide groove running along the centre longitudinal axis.
In order to compensate for production tolerances in particular of the insert part, which is connected to the camera, and as a result of thickness tolerances of the rear securing pin, compression springs are provided in the force-transmission path of the pressure plates from the actuating plate, which is connected to the hand lever, to the front clamping pin and to the rear securing pin.
Despite large cross sections and constants of the compression springs, it is impossible to avoid the situation, in the case of the known quick-clamping locking plate, where, as a result of the long lever arm between the quick-clamping locking plate and the opposite, top end of the camera, the camera can execute undesirable movements which result in the photographs being blurred.
Furthermore, locking of the quick-clamping locking plate to the camera requires a high level of manual force to be applied upon adjustment of the front and rear pressure plates.
A further disadvantage of the known locking plate is the provision for just one open position and locking position, in which the camera can be respectively positioned on the locking plate and removed from the locking plate. In the open position, however, the camera is not secured in any way, in which case there is a risk of the camera becoming disconnected from the locking plate if the operator does not hold the camera firmly until it is locked in place. However, this requires a considerable amount of effort if connecting the camera to the locking plate can only be done in a physically awkward position such as with arms stretched out above the head.